Buckner, Boyer designated to clear roster room

SAN DIEGO -- The roster shuffle continued Sunday for the Padres, who were able to clear room on the 40-man roster when they designated pitchers Billy Buckner and Blaine Boyer for assignment.

San Diego manager Bud Black said he's hopeful both will stay in the organization and end up at Triple-A El Paso.

The Padres needed to make room for the addition of first baseman/outfielder Tommy Medica and reliever Troy Patton, who was obtained Saturday from the Orioles.

Buckner's stay in San Diego was short -- like one-day short -- as he was added to the roster Saturday and started against the Cubs, allowing three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings in a loss.

Boyer tossed two scoreless innings of relief Thursday against the Cubs. It was his first Major League appearance since 2011 when he was with the Mets.

With Thursday's off-day, the Padres won't need a fifth starter until they return home to face the Pirates on June 2. That means Ian Kennedy, who started Sunday against the Cubs, will likely start Friday when the Padres face the White Sox in Chicago.

Medica, who began the season with the Padres, hit .161 in 31 at-bats with the team before he was sent to El Paso last month. Since then, he's hit .213 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 89 at-bats there.

Patton arrives in San Diego to join bullpen

SAN DIEGO -- It wasn't a complete surprise Saturday when Orioles manager Buck Showalter pulled Troy Patton into his office in Baltimore and informed the reliever he was being traded to the Padres.

"I had heard the whispers before so I was somewhat prepared for the possibility of getting traded," he said. "It wasn't a complete shock, but whenever it does actually happen, it's obviously such a drastic change, so it's a little bit to get used to."

Patton had the length of his long flight from Baltimore to San Diego on Saturday to ponder his change of scenery and what it means for him, joining a new team, a new league and his role, as he now steps into a bullpen that ranks among the best in the game.

"It's been a little busy, but I'm ready to go," Patton said.

The Padres dealt catcher Nick Hundley and $1.5 million to the Orioles for Patton, a left-hander who has a 3.28 ERA in parts of six seasons in the big leagues, the last five in the Orioles organization.

Patton sat out first 25 games of season after testing positive for amphetamine (Adderall). In nine games this season since he came back from his suspension, Patton had an 8.10 ERA over 6 2/3 innings.

The Orioles leaned on Patton heavily in 2012 and 2013, as he appeared in over 50 games each season and had ERAs of 2.43 and 3.70.

"I'd like to think that I've found a niche to stay in the Major Leagues," he said. "This year has been a little bit different obviously, but I felt good the last three years before that. I felt like I belonged here and I earned it a little bit more."

Patton gives the Padres a second left-hander in the bullpen to go with Alex Torres. Like Torres, Patton won't necessarily be used as a left-handed specialist.

"He's a good fit for us as a second lefty back there. With the current state of affairs with the injuries, we wanted an experienced arm," said Padres general manager Josh Byrnes.

Next step for Cashner is throwing program

SAN DIEGO -- Andrew Cashner's elbow felt fine Sunday a day after he played catch for the first time since landing on the disabled list on May 16 with soreness in his right elbow.

Cashner played catch with catcher Rene Rivera from 60 feet and then pushed it out to what appeared to be close to 100 feet.

San Diego manager Bud Black said he thinks Cashner will play catch again Monday before the team plays the first of three games against the D-backs at Chase Field in Phoenix.

"He feels good and he's pretty confident," Black said. "In the next few days, we'll get together with the medical staff and form a throwing program for him."

Cashner, in all likelihood, is still several weeks away from appearing in a Padres game, as he'll need to either play a short Minor League rehabilitation stint or possibly a simulated game before the team decides that they want to reinstate him from the disabled list.

"Right now we feel pretty confident in how he's feeling," Black said.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.